By WILLIAM CLARK,
Scottish Political
Correspondent
SCOTTISH Office Minister Mr Ian Lang has been asked by a leading
Conservative to investigate ''bureaucratic bungling'' that has caused
hundreds of thousands of people in Strathclyde to be denied poll tax
rebates.
Kyle and Carrick district councillor Mr Struan Stevenson, prospective
parliamentary candidate for Edinburgh South, claimed that an 80-year-old
Ayrshire widow had her entire pension taken by regional council poll tax
officials in Girvan, leaving her penniless.
He said: ''This is only one of hundreds of heartbreak cases that have
been caused because of a massive inability to cope. I want to know the
exact extent of this and the reasons for it.''
Both the region's community charge and finance department officials
admitted there had been problems but claimed most deadlines were being
met and that their departments were on top of the situation. The finance
department was striving to cope with a flood of late rebate claims.
Mr Stevenson, who farms at Ballantrae, said: ''I am appalled at the
bureaucratic bungling by Strathclyde Regional Council playing politics
instead of gearing up for the major impact of the legislation and being
able to deal effectively with it.
''It is their political opposition that has brought about much
heartbreak to people in Strathclyde especially the elderly, infirm, and
weakest members of the community. They are the suffering victims of
Labour's campaign of obstruction.''
Mr Stevenson said he had a bulging mailbag of complaints from people
who had not received due rebates and he felt that because the finance
department for a variety of reasons, including obstructive tactics by
Labour controlled district councils, had failed to cope they had invited
people to make second applications, doubling the workload.
He added: ''In the case of the widow she journeyed from a small
village to the payments office in Girvan with a voucher book that stated
she owed the full amount. It was obvious that on the State pension,
living in a council house and with no savings whatever she qualified for
full rebate.
''Yet they took her entire pension in payment leaving her without a
penny and to find her own way home. They told her it would be 'resolved
in due course.' That is scandalous and requires an answer.
''I have dealt with other cases and from what I gather from other
councillors it is replicated in thousands of instances throughout the
region. The confusion seems to be out of control.''
Mr Ian Henley, deputy director of finance for Strathclyde, said he was
satisfied that his department had coped ''reasonably well'' in the face
of massive demands.
He said: ''I would not suggest that the exercise has gone off without
a flaw and we are still having difficulty. The volumes of work came as a
shock to the printers so the vouchers were late going out but they are
going out now. By the end of June it should be resolved.
''I must say that no-one in this department is blase about the
situation and many people are working long hours.''
There was confusion in areas where district authorities had refused to
act as agents and people faced going to their district council for rent
rebates and the regional council for community charge rebates.
He said: ''This means that we start from a base that is confusing to
the general public.''
He was ''sick and tired'' of allegations of being late with the
rebates because the fact was that a mailing of all 1,800,000 people had
brought a response of less than a third that anticipated. This had led
to a second mailing and it was when people saw the gross charge they
responded, many duplicating previous forms, with a further 140,000
applying and 3500 coming in each day.
He said: ''We had expected trouble with 200,000 people and that is the
figure we have. I feel that we have done exceptionally well in many ways
in handling with the volume we faced in the time scale involved. The
public may be frustrated in some instances but we will get answers to
them as quickly as possible.''
Mr Jack Wood, community charge assessor for Strathclyde, said there
was a backlog of work but that had been anticipated. He added: ''So far
all deadlines have been met.''
They had in effect a rolling register of poll tax payers which was
being kept up to date but would show a 40% change over the year because
of death, change of residence and people reaching the age of 18. Added
to that would be statutory regulations, students and DSS claimants.
Mr Wood said his department had fulfilled its obligations on
registration and the matter of rebates and voucher books lay with the
finance department.
Meanwhile the Government is free to resume the #1m distribution of its
controversial poll tax leaflets to 21 million homes following
yesterday's decision by the London Borough of Greenwich not to appeal a
High Court ruling that publication was not in breach of the law.
And the Labour-controlled council last night apologised
''unreservedly'' for mistakenly telling ratepayers they would be
deprived of their votes if they failed to pay the new charge. The
council said the error, which appeared in its monthly magazine
circulated at ratepayers' expense, would be corrected in the June
edition.
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